Recovering God in the Old Testament

Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B

Lectionary Reading: Jonah 3:1-10 (NRSV)

As a pastor, I am attuned to how people talk about God.  Sometimes, I hear people say that they prefer the God of the New Testament.  They characterize God as being very vengeful in the Hebrew Bible but forgiving and merciful in the New Testament.  This is pretty reductionist and doesn't allow for the grace in the Old Testament that is clearly evident (it also washes over the judgment we see in the New Testament but that is another blog).  

Jesus doesn't just invent the forgiveness and grace that he espouses but he emphasizes it from the teaching present in so much of the Bible of his day.  

This week's reading from Jonah is a perfect example.

If you thought Jonah was only a story about being swallowed by a whale that emphasizes why we should be obedient, then you haven't read it as an adult.  It's only four chapters.  You could easily read it right now.

But to summarize, the first chapter is about Jonah running.

The second chapter is about Jonah praying.

The third chapter (our subject for today) is about Jonah preaching.

The fourth chapter is about Jonah sulking.

What?  

Is this how God saw Jonah at the end
of chapter four?

It really is an odd way to end a book of the Bible.  Jonah is angry because God does what Jonah is afraid that God would do in the first place.  God forgives the people of Nineveh.

It turns out that this is why he ran in the first place.  He had no interest in the success of his preaching.  In fact, Jonah had a very New Testament understanding of God.  I write this very facetiously and as a way for us to realize how people had varying ideas about God prior to the first century of the common era.  

This brings us to the idea of the grace of God.  Specifically, who wouldn't God forgive?  The Assyrians (of which Nineveh was the capitol) were not very nice people.  They had already invaded and done some pretty awful things to the northern kingdom of Israel.  Jonah wouldn't have been interested in any mercy for them.  

Is there anyone you would sulk about if they got away with murder?  

I'm sure we all have our lists.

Which is what makes this such a challenging book.  Jonah may be my favorite book of the Hebrew Bible.  I find it raises my own bar higher than I think I can jump.

It's so high.  I can't possibly get over that, can I?

Not without some help.

I hope you'll join us for online worship on Sunday as we pursue this scripture together!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by Mindaugas Danys via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.